Op-ed: Turkish police have used an iron fist to close a newspaper and then take it over because it was posting reports critical of the government.

Turkey is classed as a western ally these days mainly because of its location in relation to countries such as Syria but there have been accusations that officials in the country double deal on a regular basis. Critics accuse Turkish officials of being complicit in trade with terrorists and more.

Then there are Turkish aspirations for the country to become an EU member country and its failed human rights record.

Police in Turkey have used water cannons previously, in one case on marchers who attempted a Gay Pride celebration.

Friday it was the free press under attack and the many supporters who took to the streets in protest. The following comes from Today's Zaman Friday:

Turkish police fired tear gas and used water cannon on a crowd to forcibly enter the country's top-selling newspaper on Friday after a court ordered its confiscation.

An İstanbul court appointed trustees to take over the management of the Feza Media Group, which includes Turkey’s biggest-selling newspaper, the Zaman daily, as well as the Today’s Zaman daily and the Cihan news agency, dealing a fresh blow to the already battered media freedom in Turkey.

Police in riot gear pushed back Zaman supporters who stood in the rain outside its İstanbul office where they waved Turkish flags and carried placards reading "Hands off my newspaper" before they were overcome by clouds of tear gas.

Officers then forcibly broke down a gate and rushed into the building. The footage showed them scuffling with Zaman staff inside the offices.

Freedom of the press is worth protecting. In Turkey such freedom has always been transient. In recent years officials in Turkey have regularly used a heavy hand to control the press and so indirectly the people. Internet access to sites such as Twitter has been blocked. According to Freedom House, a US based NGO funded by the American government:

The government enacted new laws that expanded both the state’s power to block websites and the surveillance capability of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). Journalists faced unprecedented legal obstacles as the courts restricted reporting on corruption and national security issues. The authorities also continued to aggressively use the penal code, criminal defamation laws, and the antiterrorism law to crack down on journalists and media outlets. Verbal attacks on journalists by senior politicians—including Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the incumbent prime minister who was elected president in August—were often followed by harassment and even death threats against the targeted journalists on social media. Meanwhile, the government continued to use the financial and other leverage it holds over media owners to influence coverage of politically sensitive issues. Several dozen journalists, including prominent columnists, lost their jobs as a result of such pressure during the year, and those who remained had to operate in a climate of increasing self-censorship and media polarization.

The above from Freedom house dates back a couple of years and shows Turkey's response following the so-called Arab Spring which led to revolutions in various Middle eastern countries. But restrictions continue:

"In the third quarter of 2015, Bianet recorded a strengthening of attacks on the opposition media during AKP interim government, with the censorship of 101 websites, 40 Twitter accounts, 178 news; attacks against 21 journalists, three media organs, and one printing house; civil pursuits against 28 journalists; and the six-fold increase of arrests of media representatives, with 24 journalists and 9 distributors imprisoned."

Sunday sources say that Zaman is now publishing pro-government reports!

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